hill? sticking point number one, the president favors a quicker path to citizenship, and not one tied to enforcement at america's borders. >> before we can move towards a path for green cards, because citizenship comes after that. it's a path to green cards. before we move to a path towards green cards, there has to be enforcement mechanisms that are verified and in place. >> sticking point number two, buzzfeed and "the washington post" reporting that the president's plan will also support treating same-sex couples in which one partner is an immigrant the same way as married heterosexual couples. now, that is absent from the bipartisan propose. and with so much to lose and to gain on both sides of the aisle, and with public sentiment supporting real reform, will the president step back and let congress take the credit for acting on immigration? >> there will be no immigration reform unless it's bipartisan, but if you want to talk about the president bringing us together and being a bold leader, in 2007, when we tried to do immigration reform, he folded like a cheap suit. >> all right.

so, again, we are just hours away. let's dive in and say good morning to our tuesday political power panel. we have nia-malika henderson, national political reporter for "the washington post." msnbc contributor, maria teresa kumar, also president and ceo of voto latino, and republican strategist, hogan gidly. it's great to have you all here. and a lot to talk about this morning. again, we point out that we are just hours away from the first major policy speech of the president's second term, coming to us from las vegas, 2:55 eastern time. maria teresa, i want to start with you, because politico has the headline out, basically profiling the players in all of this. obama, mccain, rubio begin immigration dance. as we look at the u.s. latino electorate, 53 million people, 17% of the u.s. population, 10% of all voters in 2012. by 2030, 40 million eligible voters. the latino community is not to be taken for granted this time around. and here is where we have to figure out who to believe on

this, maria trays a. because the president ran saying he was going to do immigration reform as a top priority in his first administration, it didn't happen. now the republicans are getting on board, and mitt romney was saying immigration reform would mean self-deportation, just 2 1/2 months ago. so who's to be believed? >> i think the birth dapresiden try, and unfortunately obama care came in the way. the republican electorate woke up the day of the election and say, we do have a latino problem. and it's not a surprise that lindsey graham is part of the negotiations. his state is changing. he received a new congressional seat back in 2010 because of the growth in latino vote. if you start looking at where there's a huge population boom, in the next phase of the population boom for the next election, it's all in the south. so it's in their best interests for the republican party to ensure that they're seen out in front. because otherwise, they're going to have a very tough battle moving on, to win not just the senate, but also the white house. >> so you talk about the south. let's talk about kentucky. we get this from mitch mcconnell

and his statement on this. take a listen, "when the president addresses this issue today, i hope he will take a bipartisan approach, rather than delivering another bipartisan speech." we know that this is going to be a pretty progressive speech. the president is really going to swing for the fences here. >> yeah, he is. but, look, he's punted to congress on several big issues. this is no different. of course, he has a plan that if the senate goes down, the house goes down. and obviously, he'll put forth his plan, that's fine. i think from a strategical standpoint, republicans need to be a little bit concerned and a little bit leery here of what we have moving forward. absolutely, we need border security. and absolutely, we need to control the border. but i don't think, personally, it should be tethered to an overall immigration plan, because the rhetoric around border security, inevitably, will create a rift or ridge between us and the hispanic community. i think we should diverge, take two different bills, talk about the issues separately. i understand for a lot of republicans, it's a nonstarter unless we talk about border

security first. i'm all for border security. but a lot of americans remember ronald reagan doing the dieal with amnesty and on the backside, border security. the amnesty came, but the border security never did. and i think now the situation is thus. we cannot be more adamant about making sure our border is secure. but we need to talk about a reasonable, rational way to let these these people in this country, assimilate into this culture, more than they already have, but as more citizen for this country. and to do anything but that right now creates a horrible position for republicans moving forward in any national or local election. >> hogahogan, you bring up the rhetoric. let's talk more about that, nia-malika. i want to play for everybody the rhetoric coming from the right a about the word amnesty. take a listen. >> no one should expect the members of the senate are just going to rubber stamp what a group have meant and decided. >> what heightens my concern is that we have history as a guide

and history suggests this brand of so-called comprehensive immigration reform, this promise of enforcement, as long as we have an amnesty, all of those things put together, is a recipe for failure. >> so nia-malika, in washington right now, a lot of people, some would think the president has the midas touch. people on the right think that they're going to recoil from that touch. how much does the president really hover over doing, overall, immigration reform. or does he need to take congress really take the lead on this? >> i think he has historically let congress take the lead on things, as hogan just said. he has punted on a lot of these issues, from health care to other big plans. he has put sort of a guiding framework out there, but not necessarily a lot of meat on the bones. i think we'll have to see today what exactly he says in this speech. it does seem like he is for a quicker path to citizenship. hogan actually made the case that i think obama will make today. and that is, quirk quicker path

citizenship and not necessarily tied to border enforcement. you have had the president make these speeches that talks about border enforcement and says that republicans keep moving the goalpost in terms of what qualifies for the requisite amount of border control and enforcement. so i think we'll have to see. all of these men that are involved in these negotiations are looking for a legacy or are looking for some credit. i think the republicans are obviously saying, it's obama who's not being bipartisan and we'll have to see what he does today and what his plans are. >> anti-immigration groups are already slamming the bipartisan senate reform, calling it as amnesty. again, this is bipartisan, the immigration ink, they got together to put forth a plan to introduce before the president's big speech but they're already getting slammed for it. hogan, go ahead. >> oh, yeah. no, they are getting slammed. i do want to warn republicans here. i mean, there are a lot of issues at play with immigration.

there are many, many layers. but if we do come on board and we do support forms of not amnesty, but earnesty, the way you earn your way into this country, i think would be a better way to phrase it, if we do that, it's not somehow magically going to give us 60 to 70% of the latino vote. we're behind the eight ball with that vote right now. we've got to do more than just pass some legislation. we've got to have some rhetorical victories and show the latino community just how much we want to make this country available to them and how they should assimilate into this culture. there are things they can do to do that. but to assume that we're going to all of a sudden get some huge swath of the latino vote, remember, after reagan granted amnesty, straight up amnesty, he didn't get the 30% of the latino vote. so it's not a pathway for us to get more votes. republicans need to be very cautious about that. >> i want you that stand by real quickly, though, because i want to show everybody, we just got this video in, senator john kerry's nomination for secretary of state, unanimously approved by voice vote on the senate foreign relations committee

floor during the meeting that they had today. so that is moving forward now. the full senate expected to vote on kerry's nomination later today. but, again, smooth waters there for what looks like to be the next secretary of state, john kerry. so, again, that vote coming up this afternoon. we do want to move on, though, and talk about who will now be considered the former secretary of state after the vote this afternoon, hillary clinton. she had an opportunity to speak about what it's like to be living in such a bipartisan world of washington, d.c., right now. again, her farewell week has been really one of high aplomb, but take a look at this. >> but it's become more so, and it's also resulted in less productivity, you know? you can be partisan, you can have a strong sense of the rightness of your position, but democracy and certainly legislative bodies require compromise. and you can't let compromise become a dirty word, because

then you fear toward fanaticism. >> maria teresa, has "compromise" really become a dirty word, especially when it's over a hot-button issue like immigration reform? >> i think absolutely. and i think for secretary clinton to say that, while short-term she remembers the days when her husband about to get impeached and says this is the most tested time when it comes to bipartisanship, i think it says something. but the way she's looser in communicating with the american people, the way she's more comfortable in talking about these issues, i think it also says, lack, we have to be able to connect at a fundamental human level, otherwise, we're not going to be able to move legislation forward. the more that the american people can be involved in this legislative process and the more that we can connect with our legislators, we can ensure that this bipartisanship starts getting diminished. and the more the american people demonstrate, especially to the extreme right of the people, that they have to be courageous and do the right thing to fix this issue that we have, of 11 million people that are live under the shadows, but that we

also don't know who's within our borders, the american that the american people get involved in this immigration debate, that's going to be all the difference. and i think that's what the president is going to do today, try to rally his folks and say, this is an american issue, we need you behind us, we need you to be calling your congressional members, because we can't have this behind closed doors. >> his speech coming up at 2:55 eastern time. thanks tulle thro all three of . hogan, i'll need your middle name next time, so i feel we're all equaled out. >> hogan is my middle name. you can call me john hogan. >> john hogan gidly, thanks so much, gang. our andrea mitchell will have a sit-down interview with hillary clinton, that's tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. eastern right here on msnbc. up next, all democrats on board. the senator adding up the votes for chuck hagel's nomination for defense secretary says he hasn't counted a no vote yet.

plus, ending the gay ban. the boy scouts are considering an historical policy change. we'll talk with the former den mom, jennifer terrell, about how this impacted her, her family directly. our question to you today, who deserves credit for acting on immigration? you can tweet m me @thomasaroberts, find me on facebook. boo! i am the ghost of meals past. when you don't use new pam, this is what you get. residue. [ female announcer ] bargain brand cooking spray leaves annoying residue. that's why there's new pam. we create easy-to-use, powerful trading tools for all. look at these streaming charts! they're totally customizable and they let you visualize what might happen next. that's genius! we knew you needed a platform that could really help you elevate your trading. so we built it. chances of making this? it's a lot easier to find out if a trade is potentially profitable. just use our trade & probability calculator and there it is. for all the reasons you trade options -

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so another high-profile senate republican is publicly coming out of against chuck hagel as secretary of state just two days before what is expected to be a contentious confirmation hear. minority whip john cornyn spoke last night to christians united for israel in washington, d.c. and said hagel is absolutely the wrong man for this job. >> i cannot support someone who thinks we should be tougher on

israel and more lenient on iran. we need a defense secretary who understands and fully appreciates the danger of a nuclear iran and the importance of a strong u.s./israel alliance. >> joining me now is democratic senator, barbara boxer of california. senator, it's good to have you here. and as we had the breaking news, the video just coming in moments ago of john kerry, getting the voice vote of confirmation for being the next secretary of state, the full senate voice expected this afternoon. but you were in that room, but it's going to be a lot different when it comes to chuck hagel's confirmation. completely different, especially given the rhetoric that you're already hearing this weekend. senator menendez and john mccain may decline to go on record of how you're going to vote. you're going to come out saying you did have reservations, but now you support him. what's your reaction on your response to the critics that you just heard there, senator cornyn? >> with due respect to john cornyn, i spoke with chuck hagel at length. i've got written answers to my questions. i know his record on israel.

and the fact is, he said a couple of thing s he shouldn't have said, and he has admitted that, good for him. and he is a strong supporter of israel. and he is strongly against what iran is trying to do. and i think, given his history, and given the fact that he will be a strong supporter of making sure that the worst possible sanctions are placed on iran, nothing is off the table when it comes to iran, he's going to be very strong. and i think it's very, very sad to see republicans lining up against a republican colleague who they served with, who is a hero, a war hero, twice woundeded wound eed in vietnam. i mean, he really cares about the troops. he has answered every question. there is definitely a right-wing effort to derail his nomination. and we don't know of any democrats at this point who are voting no. we have 55 democrats. so all i could say to my republican friends is, i hope you're not thinking of

filibustering this. because never in the history of america has there been a filibuster against a nominee. this is the president's choice. he is not going to be commander in chief, the president is commander in chief. he's going to be secretary of state. he's been endorsed by madeleine albright, he's been endorsed by colin powell, he's been endorsed by robertga gates. two of the three of those are republicans. come on. >> meanwhile, senator, there are strong headwinds against him. roughly seven different groups running ads against chuck hagel, worth millions. let's take a look at one example. >> barack obama's nominee for secretary of defense wants america to back down, an end to our nuclear program, devastating defense cuts, a weaker h eer co. >> some of these ads running in states that are home to what would be considered vulnerable

democrats up for re-election. do you think that any of these will have sway on your democratic colleagues? >> i think these ads are going to backfire. they are being paid for by the right wing, by the neocons. it's all known, because there's been some research done, even though they're trying to hide who they are. so when you have colin -- do you think colin powell would ever support someone who wants to weaken this nation? robert gates, madeleine albright, and that's just a few. so all of this is the neocons who want to go to war at the drop of a hat. i would rather have someone in that position who views war as a last resort, but who will be strong. chuck hagel is a strong person. he's made some mistakes in his career. he's looked at his career, he's looked at his positions. he's told us that he's evolved on many issues. and i hope that he gets the vote. because if they filibuster him, katie bar the door on them. because that's not what the american people want. they want us to function around

here. >> senator, real quickly, i want to get your reaction to this new bipartisan immigration deal. the public policy institute of california says that your state has the most illegal immigrants, about 2.6 million. is california ready to handle the overhaul? >> oh, california is so ready. we have been for comprehensive immigration reform for a very long time. it's been a big issue in every race that i've run. i've run four times successfully for the senate. my opponents usually were against comprehensive reform. we want to see the people who are living in the shadows come out of the shadows. a great university, usc, did a study and said it would be so great for our economy, and these folks who are living in the shadows, they're our friends, they're our neighbors, they take care of our kids. they work at our restaurants. they are a very important part of our community. they need a path to citizenship, not making it an elusive dream. and their kids need to have the dream act put into law, so that

those kids who are so much part of america, don't have to look over their shoulder and can give all they want to give to their country. >> senator, real quickly, you made a super bowl bet. i want to break some news here. you made a super bowl bet with maryland senators, so if the ravens use, they'll hand over maryland crab cakes, beers, and cookies, and if the 49ers lose, you'll send over some crab, napa valley wine, san fran bread, and cheeses. apparently right now you have the odds. so do you have a message for the folks in maryland? >> well, i love the folks of maryland, but i have to say, get ready to be crabby. because we're going to make it. >> i don't know. with all due respect, i'm from baltimore, and you guys are going down. >> oh, no. >> and you will enjoy those burger cookies. you will enjoy those burger cookies, trust me. >> the ravens will fly away. >> we shall see. but i think i should just personally send you some burg r

ier cookies, anyway. you should want to lose. they're really good. trust me. >> i'll send you sour doug bread. the 113th congress has a lot to do on their list over the next few months. immigration reform as well as gun violence. but can they take care of legislation on these two major issues all at once? jimmy williams explains why it matters. plus, possible big news from the boy scouts, the 103-year-old organization considering an end to its long-term ban on gay members. i'll talk to jennifer terrell, a lesbian mom who was ousted by the boy scouts for being their den leader, because of being gay. hungry for the best?

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and let in real people. it smells good. like laundry fresh out of like the dryer. yeah. a man fresh out of the shower. nailed it. oh yeah. proof. febreze car vent clips keep your car fresh. another way febreze helps you breathe happy. big news for boy scouts everywhere. the bsa is announcing it's considering lifting the ban on

gay scouts and leaders as early as next week. but the new policy would be put to the decision of seclusion in the hands of local governing officials and sponsoring organizations. joining me now from pittsburgh is jennifer terrell. i interviewed jennifer back in april last year when she was removed from her position as her son's den mom because she is gay. jennifer, it's great to have you back on. the petition, and others, which change.org gathered over a million signatures. first, your reaction to that position, and now that the efforts have potentially sparked this possible reversal in policy for bsa. >> it's really excited to be here with you again, thomas. and our interview is up for a glad award. congratulations on that. obviously, i'm very excited about this proposal. i started to petition, thinking maybe we could get a few signatures and other petitions have surfaced and people have really stood up. they've told the bsa, this is what we want.

so i feel like the bsa is finally realizing that they can't ignore the people anymore. not only the people, but the scouts, the eagle scouts, the leaders, everyone is standing behind us and i feel really proud to be part of this. >> we have the statement, jennifer, from the boy scouts of america saying that the policy change under discussion would allow the religious, civic, or educational organizations that oversee scouting determine how to address this issue. the boy scouts would not, under any circumstances, dictate a position to units, members, or parents. under this proposed pal, bsa would not require any chartered organization to act in ways inconsistent with that organization's missions, principles, or religious beliefs. so distancing themselves from actually embracing the policy that they have long had standing, shouldn't there be, in your opinion, an umbrella standard? because it seems as if this could result in different types of discrimination and not complete tolerance over the issue itself.

>> well, you're absolutely right about that. i think this is going to play out kind of like marriage equality does, in every state, vote by vote, constant fighting back and forth. but for now, this is a huge step. and we're really excited that they're at least considering it. so i would like for everybody to continue to urge them. you can still go to change.org/scouts and sign my petition and tell the boy scouts that you support this idea. and yes, of course, ultimately, we want a national policy saying that there is no discrimination. there is no -- not even any wiggle room. everyone has to accept everyone. and eventually, i think we'll get that too. >> jennifer tyrrell, great to have you back on and we'll continue to watch this and see how it develops and the best to you and your family. >> thank you so much. >> absolutely. enforcing the president's plan. police chiefs from cities who have dealt with mass shootings meet with the president and the vice president about how to implement the potential changes to guns. plus, replacing john kerry,

the massachusetts senator, expected to resign once the full senate confirms his nomination of secretary of state. an interim replacement is expected to be named tomorrow. what are the names out there? we break down the short list. ap, olaf gets great rewards for his small business! pizza! [ garth ] olaf's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! helium delivery. put it on my spark card! [ pop! ] [ garth ] why settle for less? great businesses deserve great rewards! awesome!!! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet?

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with access to the fastest push-to-talk and three times the coverage. now when you buy one kyocera duraxt rugged phone for $69.99, you'll get four free. other offers available. visit a sprint store, or call 855-878-4biz. just listen to this staggering statistic. january not even over, and the city of chicago already reporting 40 homicides the. last january, there were 40 homicides for the entire month. and last year, there were 500 homicides in all. that's just one of the reasons that president obama sat down yesterday with police chiefs and law enforcement officials from big cities, like chicago, and others that have been impacted by gun violence. joining me now is chief john edwards of the oak creek police department in wisconsin. he attended that meeting yesterday in august. oak creek suffered a horrific shooting at a sikh temple, which left seven people dead, including the shooter. chief, it's good to have you here. and take us inside the meeting. what did the president tell you and what were you able to tell

the president? >> the president wanted us to be very candid and asked us in law enforcement and those who deal with these things on the street what really would help, what we thought, and really wanted us to be honest about some of the things that we were thinking about. and i was able to tell you, one of the things about this whole issue is, you hear it leads with gun debate, gun control, gun battles. and that's really not what this is about. and i think once that starts, you divide a lot of people, you put somebody on one side of the fence or other. and what we as chiefs, and there was a lot of this talked about, is stopping the violence in general. and there are a lot of proposals in president's executive orders that he put out that are going to help us, as far as with mental health, some of the -- if you lose a gun, report it. if it's stolen, it has to be reported. things like that are going to help us. so it's stopping the violence, but the gun issue is so polarizing, a lot of people stop dead in their tracks when they hear that and they hear nothing

else, and we don't get to the meat and potatoes of how to actually stop the violence. >> chief, you say the executive orders has actually helped you, however, since the president announced those orders promoting gun safety, there are a number of sheriffs who have written letters to the white house saying they won't comply with the president's gun safety measures or any laws that congress might pass. one sheriff, who is just a stone's throw from where you reside in milwaukee, has been urging the people in his town to arm themselves. in your estimation, why are these sheriffs, local police chiefs like yourself, not on the same page when it comes to this issue? >> well, that's one of the things. the way things are reported, i personally don't believe banning any particular weapon is going to stop these acts. we have to go to the root of the problem and find out and identify where these things are. so we are on the same page in a lot of respects. but, again, the issue of the -- when it's talked about gun control, that overshadows everything. and there are things that all law enforcement have been looking for for a long time, as far as access to databases and mental health, that doctors will

not feel that they're going to be sued or something's going to happen. if they warn law enforcement that someone might be a problem. so we agree on those things, but the gun issue is where things are. and the emotional response to something like this, and anything, personal or professional, usually isn't the right response. if we look at it, it's the right response. so, you know, when it's characterized as, we're not on the same page, that's not the case. there are people who will look at those proposals and see them and if they read them say, oh, yeah, i think that's something that we've looked for for a long time. they don't agree with all of it, and that's fine, we don't have to, but we should discuss all of it. >> so tomorrow the senate judiciary committee is going to hold a hearing on solutions for gun violence. the baltimore city chief, james johnson, is going to testify as well as the nra, which has resisted gun control measures that have been talked about. so as this conversation moves forward, how do we continue to have a thoughtful and logical national debate on gun control

and apply these solutions on curbing gun violence in major cities and smaller cities and rural ones, but as you say, with everyone not being on the same page, this really does demonstrate that this is not a one-sized fits all answer to this. >> i think, personally, what we have to do is stop calling it gun control. we're trying to control violence. and that has many different facets to it. there's mental health issues, there's databases we need access to, there's record checks that need to be done. there's reporting stolen weapons, doctors being involved, and sharing information between schools, police, mental health professionals. so we need to stop calling it a gun control debate. that's what my personal opinion is, because like i said, when people hear that, they're on one side or the other. and we shouldn't be. we shouldn't be on any side or the other. we should all want to stop the violence. like i said, i don't agree that banning any particular weapon is going to stop these things. those are usually the end, the means to the end, not where these things start.

and that's what we focus on. it's like arresting the gun for committing the murder, but we don't do that. we arrest the individual. >> chief john edwards of the oak creek police department in wisconsin. sir, thanks for your time. i do appreciate it. >> thank you. >> and gun control, just one of the big -- two of the big conversations, the national battles now being fought by capitol hill lawmakers. today, another bipartisan bill on immigration reform is on deck in the senate. this one is aimed at attracting and keeping skilled workers from other countries. senator marco rubio of florida was moments ago on the senate floor, talking about that bill, which doubles the amount of visas available for highly skilled workers. now, the big question is whether lawmakers can achieve either issue. msnbc contributor jimmy williams, our resident congressional guru, joins me once again to talk about why it matters. so jimmy, president obama taking this issue of immigration on the road today. he did so, though, back in 2011 without a lot of success. but today, dan pfeiffer is tweeting out that the president will applaud the bipartisan senate agreement, saying it's consistent with his long-held

view. but jimmy, this bill is not a sure thing in the senate, let alone the house. so explain why there is con flicking uniformity on this. >> well, listen. i think it's great that the six senator who is got up on the podium yesterday and said that they have a framework for an agreement for a framework to get immigration done, is great. the problem is this. the problem is -- and that's a great first step, but you've got to put it down on paper. and once you start putting things down on paper, you actually start writing legislation. and then you ask members to start voting on this legislation, and that's when it gets remarkably murkier in the building behind me. think about it in 2007. you know, you had 22 republicans that are currently sitting in the united states senate today who voted against bush's immigration plan. nine democrats voted against the same exact plan. and of those, i think three or four are from states that obama won, and the others were not. so this is not an easy road. do i think there is a good chance of it happening? probably a 50/50 chance.

but until you put it down on paper and you start making thesis senators vote on it, it means nothing, really. >> all right. so, tomorrow the senate judiciary committee taking up the issue of gun control. and there is this anger among democrats, because this list of speakers, it's tilted in favor of guns. so pro gun testimony. so why are we not seeing the same kind of bipartisan support on the gun control issue? >> well, listen, that's more of an emotional issue, if you will, i think, especially after newtown. but, this is not the first type -- i mean, listen, chairman leahy is a longtime advocate, or has been very friendly with the nra, considering his state, a rural state. senator reid, the majority leader, the exact same thing. if you look at the makeup example, for example, of the senate democrats, that are up for re-election, just between now and 2014, of those nine, obama only won three of those senators' home states. that is a long haul. and it's going to be remarkably hard to get anything through that committee, much less the

full senate. >> so, jimmy, let's talk about what's going on in the senate, because there's going to be some changes coming up real quickly. as we saw in this hour, we had the video turnaround, senator john kerry's nomination for secretary of state, unanimously approved by voice vote in the senate. now, this afternoon, they're going to have the full vote on that. but let's talk about massachusetts. because it's going to leave that seat open. who are the players in contention for it? deval patrick is going to be appointing this interim senator tomorrow. >> well, the governor has the ability to appoint someone. and former congressman barney frank has made it well known that he would like to be appointed on a temporary basis, until the special election. >> isn't that bad? you never say you want something in politics, right? >> no, no, listen, i mean, i think barney frank is a seasoned veteran of the congress and put him in the senate for a couple of years. so what. let's have two openly gay members in the united states senate. but ed markey has declared, the dscc, the political arm of the senate democrats, they are now backing mr. markey, the

congressman from massachusetts of like 30 years. and so, you know, patrick could put neither of those men. if he puts in markey, you have a sitting senator, the power of incumbency matters from fund-raising and from being able to be called senator. he could do a wild shot. he could put a kennedy back in the senate. you now have barney frank's old seat, the position is being held by a kennedy, joe kennedy iii. so you just never know what patrick's going to do. but it ought to make for some fun fireworks. >> all right. so tomorrow we shall know, the appointment for the interim senator coming there. msnbc contributor, jimmy williams. >> thanks a lot. >> thank you, sir. i appreciate it. so we have this, another member of the obama administration stepping down to report. transportation secretary ray lahood announcing this morning that he would not be staying for the second term. now, the president said lahood made travel safer throughout the country. in an e-mail to d.o.t. employees, lahood wrote, "i've told president obama and i've told many of you that this is the best job i've ever had. i'm grateful to have the

opportunity to work with all of you." >> for nearly two years, the assad regime has waged a brutal war against the syrian people, murdering innocent men, women, and children in their homes and bread lines and at universities. i've approved an additional $155 million in humanitarian aid for people in syria and refugees fleeing the violence. >> president obama announcing more humanitarian aid to the war-torn country of syria. more than 60,000 people have been killed and more than 700,000 have escaped to nearby countries since march of 2011. and now here's a look at some of the other stories topping the news now for you. in egypt, the public prosecutor is urging security forces to capture members of a new opposition group, and this comes as officials fear that the ongoing political turmoil could lead to the collapse of the state. 52 people have been killed in the last week. in australia, four people are dead and thousands had to evacuate after days of heavy rain caused massive flooding there. however, we do have some good news for one of our nation's

heroes. brendan morocco, the only soldier to lose both his arms and his legs in iraq and survive has received a double arm transplant. just take a listen to what he had to say, moments ago. >> it's given me a lot of hope for the future. i feel like i'm getting a second chance to start over after i got hurt. so i'm just excited. excited for the future and see where i can go with it. now i can move my elbow -- and this is my elbow, the one i had before. i can rotate a little bit. this arm is pretty much -- not much movement at all. not yet. at least. hopefully -- we're hopeful for the future, to get some pretty good function out of it, out of both of them. >> best wishes to the sergeant there. and over on the set of "the view," co-host barbara walters is at home recovering from the chicken pox. take a listen, though, to what co-host whoopi goldberg had to say to barbara after delivering the news yesterday.

>> she'd never had it as a child, so now she's being told to rest. she's not allowed any visitors. and we're telling you, barbara, no scratching. we love you, we miss you, we just don't want to hug you. coming up, a minister and his partner are arrested after trying to obtain a marriage license in kentucky. and that's because they don't give a marriage license in marriage equalities in the bluegrass state, marriage equality being legal. i'll talk to the reverend about their arrest. and the perks of being president. the president welcoming the champions, the miami heat, to the white house and takes credit for the big win. and our question for you today, who deserves credit for acting on immigration. tweet me @thomasaroberts or find me on facebook. [ fishing rod casting line, marching band playing ] [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it... in your heart.

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well, a kentucky pastor's fight for civil right ended up in jail. they stood up for what they say is their right to marry. but when they tried to obtain a license from the county clerk's office, they were denied and instead got arrested. the reverend and his partner, dominique james. gentleman, great to have you here. the state law says any county clerk who knowingly issues a license and then violates the law would be guilty of a misdemeanor, they could face jail time in this and lose their job. but explain to us, reverend, i'll start with you, why did you think it was important to go and try to get a marriage license? >> we felt it was important, mr. roberts, because, as a minister and as people of faith, we have to give witness to the fact that this is an unjust law and that it's discrimination. and if we don't act, then we're accomplices to you are own discrimination. >> when did you decide, dominique, that you wanted to go through with this and try to get married? as we know right now, there are ten places where marriage

equality is legal in the country. why did you feel it was important to do this in kentucky, where it's not? >> yes, sir. first off, thank you very much for having me here today. really, the previous week, you know, we were sitting in our dining room and bill jengles just kind of threw this idea out, and, you know, because, you know, we just, we felt like we had a spiritual calling to really stand up for our rights. and, you know, we talked about it the week before and we both just strongly agreed that this is something that we needed to do. and the reason why in kentucky versus another state, is because this is our home. we shouldn't have to go to another state to get married, because we live in kentucky. we should be able to get married in kentucky and live in kentucky and have a happy life together.

>> reverend, i wanted to say, though, if we could put up the graphic just to show everybody, because kentucky is truly a solidly republican state, where marriage equality might not even be in the state legislature, being kicked around or even thought about. but reverend, why do you think the people of faith and others in your state could change their minds when it comes to an issue of marriage equality? do you think that it's likely to happen there soon in kentucky? >> i think, first of all off, i'm an optimist, so, yes, i think it's likely. i think what it's going to take is individual hearts being changed and moods through relationships with people that are different than them. so what we wanted to do by applying for this license and for people seeing it is to say, those folks are like us. we can't separate them and say, them and us, anymore. so when people's hearts start being moved, then we call on them to make that real in the ballot. so, yes, i feel like hearts will be changed and civil rights will

be coming to the forefront, for this state and hopefully the rest of the south and other parts of the nation. >> you certainly stepped up to be accounted for, reverend maurice blanchard >> thank you. >> thank you. >> we answered who deserves contract for acting on immigration. marcia mary ann, let's see who follows us. let's see who follows through with their plans. is that reaction. then american people without the overwhelming latino vote. this might not be happening. let's keep the comments coming in. you can find us on twitter and facebook. back after this. stop! stop! stop! come back here! humans -- we are beautifully imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world.

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>> president obama holding court with the miami heat. it's time for the poli side bar. president obama talking smack during the visit to the white house saying his pick-up game was the best prep for their victory. >> i think that it's clear that going up against me prepared them to take on kevin durant and

russell westbrook. it sharpened their skills. it gave them the competitive edge that they needed, and i think part of the reason they came back today is they want another shot at the old guy. >> so speaking of game, lebron james obviously flushed with pride at having come so far and took the opportunity to give shout-out to moms. >> we in the white house right now. this is, like -- hey, mom, i made it. >> all right. from the hardwood to the gridiron, san fruchk 49ers coach jim harbough and his players saying that they would have no qualms about letting their sons play the sport. now, the comments came on monday when president obama touched on the topic of head injuries in the nfl saying that if he had a son, he would think long and hard about letting him play the sport. well, in response, harbough joked if president obama feels that way, there will be a little less competition for jack harbough when he gets old. so speaking of sport, it seems new york city mayor mike bloomberg is taking a page from

the musberger handbook. a reporter for new york magazine caught him admiring a woman's post ear yor at a recent party saying look at the you know what on her. all right. if you missed it, last night jimmy fallon and brian williams were at it once again slow jamming the news. this time on the debt ceiling and always keeping it, well, a little racy. >> the obama administration once again finds itself locking horns with republicans over the issue of raising the debt ceiling. the amount of money the nation is legally allowed to borrow. >> oh, yeah. when it comes to raising the debt ceiling, the president is having a hard time getting it up. >> brian williams does such a good job slow jamming. that's going to wrap things up for me today. i'm going to see you tomorrow, 11:00 a.m. eastern. joining us richard bloomen thaul and debbie wasserman schultz and

david ciciline and mayor greg stanton of phoenix. you should have seen the way it was spelled in my prompter. you should have seen it, alex. you can't. you know? they try to make things easier for me, and then i just mess it up. now with alex wagner coming up next. don't go anywhere. yes she is, yes she is. [ bop ] [ male announcer ] could've had a v8. 100% vegetable juice, with three of your daily vegetable servings in every little bottle.

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so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ >> senate republicans are pushing for reform, but the house gop might just land the party in reform school. it is tuesday, january 29th, and this is "now." joining us today former deputy white house press secretary, executive vice president global strategy group, and former obama money bunny, the man with a very long title bill